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The 2012 Toyota Camry: More Than Manufacturer Hype?

Camry lovers across the world agree that Toyota has been very complacent over the last few years when it comes to this model. It seems as if Toyota's darling, the Prius, was getting all of the attention and media buzz. You can't really blame the automotive editors or the consumers they serve; the company did very little to keep the Camry fresh or interesting to buyers. Of course, sales began to slip as you might expect. Buyers began to bail to the new Accord, Fusion, and Malibu, all of which offered significant updates in terms of both form and function. The 2012 Camry is sure to bring a few back to their brand of preference, however.

For 2012, Toyota thought that a complete overhaul was in order. They were right. The Camry L and LE are exactly what Toyota needed to give the American car market: a well-appointed, comfortable family sedan with fuel efficiency that tops 35 mpg on the highway and 25 mpg in the city. That is very impressive fuel economy for a non-hybrid sedan of this size. Consumers might worry that luxury or performance were sacrificed to reach these EPA fuel ratings, but they needn't worry. Neither car is underpowered or under-appointed. If you want sporty, skip over the SE and head to the V6 XLE. The additional appointments and comfort mask a frisky six that makes it hard to stay within the legal speed limits.

The redesign did not stop with the gasoline only models. Toyota went for a revamp of the Camry Hybrid as well. In the past, the regenerative braking felt somewhat "out of body" and the sudden shifts from gasoline to electric could be too abrupt, shocking the driver. For 2012, Toyota has smoothed and refined these systems. The new model offers seamless changes from gas to electric without sacrificing the fuel efficiency for which you buy a hybrid in the first place. The old model offered 31 mpg around town and 35 mpg on the highway, while the new version gets 39 mpg on the open road and 43 mpg around town. The XLE falls a little short of that at 41/38 city/hwy mpg for the XLE model.

Hopefully, the new upgrades and styling will save the Camry from the fate of models that failed to stay current in our increasingly dynamic automotive marketplace. No one wants to see the Camry on the list of discontinued cars.

Stan Bailey has been covering the automotive sector, and green/hybrid technology in particular, for quite a few years now. If you need to get your new 2012 Camry financed, he recommends a couple of options: Car Loans in Tennessee, as well as Auto Loans in Texas.